This invention relates to a two-part mobile telephone configured to be worn about the person, particularly in the manner of a wristwatch.
Portable telephones have become ever smaller and lighter since portable telephones first became widely available for use by the general public. Current portable telephones are very compact and lightweight, and manufacturers are keen to develop telephones which are considered personal accessories, to be carried or worn about the person, rather than separate articles which can be more easily misplaced.
Part of the inspiration for the present invention came from the realisation that people are generally accustomed to wearing a watch, and do not generally object to wearing one all day, every day. Indeed, many watches, particularly of the diving or chronograph type, can weigh considerably more than many of the more recent portable telephones. For instance, the Nokia(copyright) 8890 telephone weighs 91 g and has a volume of 70 cc, whereas a typical sports or diving watch can weigh well over 100 g. The weight of such watches is often regarded as a sign of quality.
A wrist-mounted portable telephone is disclosed in co-assigned patent GB2317300B. In this case, a telephone element 5 is arranged to be detached from a wrist band 2, allowing the user to use the detachable element in the same manner as a regular telephone.
The removable telephone part 5 has a flexible element 6 which conforms to the shape of the strap when mounted, but which adopts a straighter configuration in use (as shown by the dotted lines).
The antenna of the telephone is disposed within the flexible portion 6. This position for the antenna can cause problems. The flexible part 6 of the telephone also houses the earpiece, and due to the flexible nature of the housing, the user of the telephone may be tempted to hold the telephone by the flexible part so as to position the telephone more firmly against his ear. By doing so he may well shield the antenna with his hand, and so adversely affect its performance.
According to the present invention, there is provided a portable telephone assembly comprising first and second portions arranged to be mutually detachably interconnectable, the second portion being further arranged to be removably attachable to a user, the first portion comprising: a body portion; and an extendible portion movable between a relatively extended configuration and a relatively contracted configuration, wherein the extendible portion is biased towards the relatively extended configuration, such that when the first portion is detached from the second portion, the extendible portion is urged towards the relatively extended configuration.